Amnesia Developer Teasing Its Next Game

Frictional Games, the developer behind Amnesia: The Dark Descent (but not its sequel, A Machine for Pigs, which it only served as publisher) is teasing its next project.

The unimaginative, but appropriately titled website nextfrictionalgame.com currently shows a progress bar slowly gaining momentum below the words, "Booting the system after unexpected shutdown." It's unclear of the progress bar is simply a stand-in for a countdown, or if it growing based on users heading to the site, but it has grown since yesterday.

Frictional Games creative director, Thomas Grip, tweeted recently that the, "First breadcrumb is deployed," so there may be more of these hints as the project gets closer to its full reveal.

Our TakeFrictional Games' releases have, historically, been horror games. Presumably, whatever this is will also be a horror title as well. The computerized nature of the website makes it seem that Frictional may be trying something set more in the science fiction genre.

EDIT: It is also clear that the bottom right text is a scrambled series of letters spelling "System Online" it would seem, and that the other words and blurred lines (no pun intended) have significance as well.

I opened the background image in a photo editing program and moved the little bits of skewed text together, which become: COGITO ERGO SUM
According to wikipedia this is a latin phrase meaning "I think, therefore I am"

The bottom right text when aligned as well shows: System Failure

Maybe something to do with AI, like a system shock/skynet type of deal?

Ok so looking up Soma on wikipedia brings me to a page that has to be with a Vedic plant and ritual:

"It is described as being prepared by extracting juice from the stalks of a certain plant. In both Vedic and Zoroastrian tradition, the name of the drink and the plant are the same, and also personified as a divinity, the three forming a religious or mythological unity. The Rigveda calls the plant "God for Gods" seemingly giving him precedence above Indra and the other Gods"

also: "In the Vedas, the drink, and the plant refer to the same entity. Drinking Soma produces immortality"

So i would guess its set in a modern day research lab, thats been investigating and researching this stuff, when something goes wrong...

Which is probably something frictional games would do - base it on something that has a lot of mythical lore that can be pieced together as the gamer progresses, whilst figuring out how to combat/escape the whatever that has been created/released etc.

Edit: throw in the cogito ergo sum message, and maybe some plant or other thing has gone sentient, taking over the soma systems lab?

1. The monster/ghost design must be actually scary or at least disgusting
example:
http://flikie.s3.amazonaws.com/ImageStorage/f8/f80fff05f4764d0382ab240fd9353831.jpg

Some anatomy defect or challenged physical anatomy/movement also welcome. Something like not having chin, and head twisted 180 degree backward. This will add the creepiness of the ghost. In ghost movie, a crawling ghost seems to be a popular trend.

2. Sound.
Use a startling loud sound that come out of nowhere as a mean to caught the player off guard. This work in most horror movie, and Outcast (the PS4,PC game) take advantage of the sound which actually manage to shock the playing gamer.

Some creepy background music when player is checking out the area will add the mood and tension. The sound of the unseen monster/ghost laugh or breath, anything as a sign the enemy is nearby also will skyrocket the player's heartbeat. Minor addition sound of the water droplet, crackling branch, or sound of wind will add the suspense.

3. Surprise element.
I notice the current horror game lack of element of surprise. I almost can predict a ghost/monster will jumping at me whenever I open a closed door/closet.. and not be too surprised anymore.

Make the ghost/monster appear when the player is busy solving a puzzle, busy stacking up item (anytime the player is focusing on doing something) or when the player have relax a bit after convinced there is nothing in the dark room, then BAM -- the ghost/monster appear. Make the surprise, actually surprising.

4. Sense of helpless.
Eliminate/ limit the weapon for the player, or make it less powerful so it took time to take down the enemy. So instead of feeling like a bad-ass in the word, the gamer will feel like they are this tiny creature that desperately trying to survive in the messed world. They will feel helpless and scared whenever the monster appear this way.

Also make a monster/ghost that practically impossible/very hard to defeat roaming around, and the gamer's only option is to run away. It will be very scary, and surely the sight of these strong monster/ghost making gamer nearly pee in their pant.

5. Punishment.
Make some sort of punishment if the player die, so the player will be afraid of dying and be more even careful, get more tensed, be more suspense, which translated as even easier to get startled.

That's all I currently have in mind on making horror/scary movie, even more scary. Thank you for listening.